ghost
by tatty ted
Summary: Christine Fletcher, a rather naïve registrar had a one night stand and fell pregnant. Fast forward fifteen years and when her daughter's involved in a near fatal accident Christine realises she has to tell the truth regardless of the consequences. - —Christine/Robert/OC, set during series one. [one/?]
1. CHAPTER I

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**ghost  
**_had to meet the devil_

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Nadine Fletcher sat outside St Victor's Accident and Emergency waiting for her mother to finish work. She sat on the floor, first of all checking it wasn't damp and slid down the wall, school bag in between her legs and her cigarettes in her hand.

She looked around making sure nobody was around that could inform her mother, placed one of the cigarettes in her mouth and tried to look for her lighter. Emptying the contents of her handbag and blazer she couldn't find the lighter before remembering she'd given it to her friend to use.

Sighing deeply she was just about to put the cigarette back in the packet when she heard a familiar voice, "what would your mother say if you saw you right now?"

Looking up from shoving her blazer back in her school bag Nadine's eyes fell upon Robert, the hospital's consultant and her mother's boss. Still with her cigarette in her mouth she answered back, "I won't tell if you don't," she nodded towards his own cigarette with a smile, her mother didn't approve of Robert smoking either and he was a grown man.

"Lighter?" He asked and pulled out his own. Handing it to her she lit her cigarette and breathed in, closing her eyes as she did so and reopened them again, "aren't you supposed to be at school."

"I have a free period," she stated and blew out the smoke in Robert's direction. There was nothing spoken for a second, Robert just watching Nadine carefully knowing Christine would kill him for not been a responsible adult and taking the cigarettes of Nadine.

"An official free period or one you decided to take?"

She smiled sweetly answering Robert's question that it was an unofficial free period, "what were you meant to have?"

"Double PE but I thought balls to that, I'm not going on that field with them. They wanna snap your bleedin' legs Robert, I need mine to walk thank you."

He laughed even though he knew Christine would hit the roof if he discovered Nadine was skiving school again. It hadn't been the first time she'd skipped double physical education but he could see where she was coming from. Some people took competiveness to extreme lengths and Robert wasn't too sure if he wanted her to be involved in all that, especially if she could get hurt.

They finished the rest of their cigarettes in silence, nothing verbally exchanged between them. The truth was Nadine liked been in Robert's company, he treated her like an adult and didn't smother her like her mother. With Robert it was a little bit of freedom to be just her.

Putting out the cigarette she asked, "is my mother around?"

"She's in Resus she won't be long," he replied and she nodded. Getting up off the floor, she grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder before following Robert inside. Telling him to inform her mother she was in the staff room she made her way over there.

Reaching the staff room she walked in and found the place to be empty. Throwing her bag onto the settee she walked to the fridge and opened it. Finding a can of coke on the top shelf she helped herself and sat back on the settee cracking open the can.

She was alone for a short while until David walked in, "afternoon Doctor Scoobie."

"It's _Scobie,"_ he answered back. Since day one he'd gained this nightmare nickname and he couldn't shift it. Now this girl was calling it him and he didn't even know her, "are you even supposed to be in here?"

"Yup I'm waiting for my mother," she placed the can on the table, "I don't believe we've met I'm Nadine, Nadine Fletcher."

"Christine's daughter?"

"No Christine's son going through a sex change," she smiled softly to indicate she was joking and continued, "I'm surprised we haven't crossed paths earlier. I probably live here more than I do at home."

At that very minute Christine appeared at the door ending the conversation between her and David. He disappeared on Christine's orders and Nadine couldn't help but ask when she started bossing people around, did Robert give her the authority?

"Why aren't you at school?"

"I have a double free period remember?" She smiled at the blank expression that appeared on Christine's face, "I did tell you this morning before you left for work that I had a free period this afternoon and I would come and meet you at the hospital for about half past one?"

"I didn't forget, I just couldn't remember."

"Same thing," there was a pause and Christine sat down beside Nadine. Kissing the top of her head she told her she wouldn't be long, she just needed to check on a patient and they'd go for lunch as they'd agreed that morning.

"Take your time I'm not exactly going anywhere."

"I promise I'll be five minutes," she nodded as her mother disappeared out of the staff room. Her mother's five minutes were never five minutes, always twenty or so. Still the older Nadine got, the more she got used to be let down and left to her own devices, her father wasn't much help either but then again he'd always been a twat, even if he was part of her life and always will be.

"Five" minutes later Christine returned only to find Nadine was no longer in the staff room. She found her outside, sat in the same spot she was earlier smoking another cigarette, "Nadine?"

"What?" Remembering what she was doing Nadine finished her cigarette. There was nothing spoken for a moment before Christine asked, "where did you get it from?"

"What?"

"Don't act stupid Naddy, where did you get the cigarette from?"

Nadine sighed. She was always arguing with her mother over her smoking habit. Yes she knew why she cared so much but Nadine was a teenager and teenagers went through stages and phases, they were nightmares.

"A friend."

"What friend?"

"Why does it matter? You know I smoke and you know people supply me with cigarettes. I don't need to tell you who they are, you don't even know them."

"I want you to tell me."

Standing up off the floor Nadine picked up her bag and put it on her shoulder. She didn't want to spend her free period arguing with her mother over something so childish, "I'm not arguing with you. I'm hungry now can we go for something to eat?"

Christine sighed and reluctantly dropped the conversation. Nadine wasn't going to tell her who'd she got the cigarettes off and that was that. The journey to the cafe was quiet no conversation spoken between them, both lost in thought about different things.

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	2. CHAPTER II

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**CHAPTER TWO**  
_ice is cool but I'm looking for more_

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They reached the café just before two and sat by the window. The café was pretty quiet for late afternoon and Nadine put it down to people needing to pick up their children from school or working. Nadine ordered the same as her mother, a cheese and ham toastie with a strawberry milkshake.

Waiting for their number to be called, Nadine and Christine engaged in small talk, "how's school?"

Nadine shrugged, "same old." She hated school. She was in year ten trying to stay afloat in a year full of bitches and cliques. She didn't really fit in anywhere, she wasn't a trouble maker and she wasn't a nerd. She was just herself trying to do what she thought was best.

"Nobody's causing trouble for you are they?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You seem quieter," Nadine shrugged her shoulders and answered that she was just tired. It was true, she was tired. She'd been busy studying and doing all her coursework, "I'm just tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she bit her lower lip and looked around the café before making eye contact with her mother. The lady behind the counter called their number and Christine went up to the counter and picked up their food. Bringing it back to the table she placed one of the plates and milkshakes in front of Nadine and sat down.

Nadine picked up half the toastie and bit into it. She was starving as she'd skipped breakfast that morning because she was running late for school. It was a regular occurrence for Nadine waking up past her alarm, missing the school bus and having to walk to school.

"Did you get to school on time this morning?"

Her eyes met with her mother's, "sort of."

"Sort of?" Nadine slurped on her milkshake which made Christine cringe, "Nadine will you drink that properly!"

"Sorry," she chewed her lower lip and decided to answer Christine's question, "I missed registration and half of this morning's first lesson but it was only religious studies and to be honest, I don't _really_ need it do I?"

Christine sighed and began to eat her own toastie, "whether or not its important, what is important is that you attend. You're studying it for your exams, you've got to go to lessons Naddy."

"Is the lecture over now?"

Christine sighed but didn't speak anything else to her daughter. They ate the rest of their meal in silence, Nadine staring at the window watching the rain drops fall against the floor and all the shoppers getting wet; "can I ask a question?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you dislike me smoking so much?"

"Do you really have to ask such a silly question?" Christine sighed deeply, "you get cancer and you die. Any mother or father doesn't agree with their children smoking especially not when they're doctors."

"I think your jealous."

"What?"

"I think your jealous because I've got something that relaxes me and you haven't. Hence why you get so grumpy."

"I do not get grumpy!" Christine answered back and Nadine stuck her tongue out. After a giggle Nadine sipped her milkshake, feeling full from her food. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and caught sight of the time, "I suppose you've got to go back to work haven't you?"

Christine sighed and nodded, "Yeah you know—"

Nadine cut her off, "A&E is a full time commitment I get it but I wish I'd get to spend more time with you."

"Sorry," Christine stood up and so did Nadine. She hugged her mother tightly and kissed her cheek before saying that she'd see her tonight after work. Nadine said that she'd be at the hospital for nine probably hanging around the staff room as usual.

Watching Christine walk away, Nadine sighed and left the café herself before heading into town. Instead of going back home, her father had been in a terrible mood recently, she found herself window shopping. She needed some new clothes maybe she could get her allowance of her father early.

Nadine sat on the wall outside Woolworths, cigarette in her mouth asking random passer-by's if they had a lighter. A young guy handed her his and she smiled and thanked him, lighting the cigarette and inhaling the smoke.

Exhaling the smoke, she jumped off the wall and began to make her way home.

Nadine stood at the side of the road looking left and right, right and left. She'd learnt the green cross code at school, her mother constantly revising her because if she was to walk home from school every day from year six, she'd learn to cross the road safely.

The road was clear both sides when she stepped out and that's when she heard it, the revving of the engine.

She looked to the right of her and that's when she saw the car hurtling towards her. She was caught like a rabbit in headlights, frozen to the spot watching as the car got faster and faster towards her.

The car hit Nadine causing her to smash the windscreen and fly through the air. She hit the road and lost consciousness, a pile of blood getting bigger and bigger surrounding her body.

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	3. CHAPTER III

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**CHAPTER THREE  
**_but you still have all of me_

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A middle aged woman aged around forty was the first on the scene.

She hadn't seen the accident but she saw the young girl lying in the middle of the road. She edged forward seeing the pool of blood and bent down, pressing her fingers to the young girls neck. Feeling a pulse against her fingers, the woman dialled 999.

"999 what's your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance," she paused, "there's a young girl, I don't know how old she is but she's bleeding heavily. She's been in some sort of accident, car crash or something I think. Please can you hurry, I don't know what to do!"

"Help is on the way to your location," she put the phone down on the road and took off her jacket. Putting it around the young girl she told the youngster that she'll be okay, an ambulance was on its way and she'd be fine.

It seemed for the lady a lifetime until the ambulance arrived. She stepped back as she watched the paramedics work on the girl.

Trish looked down at the young girl and frowned. She recognised her from somewhere but she couldn't put her finger on where, "do you know her?"

The lady shook her head, other than today she'd never come across this girl before, "no I just found her like this."

"Is this hers?" Trish pointed at the stuff that was littered over the road. There was a school bag, a school blazer, cigarettes and exercise books. Trish picked up one of the books and read the name on the book aloud. She sighed deeply, the girl was Nadine, Christine's Nadine. She knew she'd seen her somewhere.

She radioed it in to St Victor's, a RTC involving a young girl but the journey was difficult on the way there. Nadine's heart had stopped twice on the way though they managed to get it beating again. Trish wondered how Christine was going to react to the news of her only daughter in this state.

"What've we got?" She heard Robert ask as she got out of the ambulance, "this is Nadine, Nadine Fletcher, fifteen. She's been involved in a road traffic collision, pulse is thirty, GCS is four, blood pressure is sixty over forty. She's had one bag of hartmann's already."

Robert looked down at the youngster and didn't recognise her at first, the facial lacerations were too much. Hearing her name been spoken he asked, "Christine's Nadine?"

Trish nodded and he couldn't believe he'd only spoken to her two hours ago.

"Has anyone seen Christine?"

"She was in minors, do you want me to get her Robert?"

"No I think I should be the one to tell her. Lou I want you to lead on this one."

He left Judy, Terry, Mike and Louise in Resus to hold the fort whilst he went to find Christine. He thought he should be the one to tell her about Nadine, they were close colleagues after all. Walking towards the phone area, he asked Cathy if she'd seen Christine who pointed him to cubicle three.

As he walked over and opened the curtain he asked, "can I have a word?"

"Can it wait?"

He shook his head, "not really my office in five?" Christine said she'd be there in five and Robert found himself leaving the cubicle and walking to his office. Sitting down he took out his cigarettes, put one in his mouth and lit it up. Staring at his lighter, he remembered his conversation with Nadine only two hours earlier.

He blew out his cigarette smoke. He didn't like breaking bad news to his colleagues, it was harder than telling patients relatives, a lot harder. A knock on the door broke Robert out of his thoughts and Christine walked in. With a small smile she tutted when she saw his cigarette and closed the door behind her.

"You wanted to see me?"

Sit down," she did just that and crossed one leg over the other. He stubbed out his cigarette and took a deep breath. Now she was here he couldn't find the words,

"Chris?"

"Yes Robert?" A silence descended onto the room and Robert realised that there was never going to be an easy way to let her know about Nadine. Nadine was seriously injured and he had to break that news to Christine, there was no way around it.

"Robert?"

"It's Nadine she's been in an accident," he watched the colour drain from Christine's face as she asked how serious.

"As serious as it gets." he couldn't finish his sentence when the door to his office opened and Christine ran out. It was her natural instinct to be with Nadine no matter how bad she was injured. She was a mother first and a doctor second. Robert had no choice but to run after her, he didn't want her to see Nadine the way she was, a shadow of her former self.

As Christine stepped into Resus, she saw Louise press down on Nadine's chest performing CPR.

She just stared at her daughter lying there, wires coming out of her body in all directions. She swallowed. She'd never felt fear like it, she knew Nadine was in the best place possible but it didn't stop the sick feeing to subside.

Robert caught up with her, touched her elbows and whispered in her ear, "come on Chris there's nothing you can do!"

"Let me stay please."

"And what good will that do? Come on let me get you a cup of tea."

"I don't want tea, I just want Nadine, my Nadine." Robert steered her out of Resus and towards the staff room where he made her a cup of tea with three sugars. Handing her the cup, there was nothing but silence between them.

She stared into the mug not wanting to drink it because she wasn't thirsty really. She just wanted to be beside Nadine, holding her hand and telling her stories like she was eight years old again.

"What's the damage?"

"Chris," Christine cut him off, "I need to know Robert!"

He sighed, "I don't know but as soon as I find out I'll let you know."

"Do you think she'll die?"

He knelt down in front of Christine and cupped her cheeks in his hands, "listen to me Chris, we're going to do everything we can okay? Nadine's in the best possible place you know that don't you?"

Christine placed the mug on the table and gripped Robert's arm tightly, "she can't die, you can't let her die."

"She isn't going to," he smiled sadly, "would you like me to call Kenny?"

"Please."

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	4. CHAPTER IV

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**CHAPTER FOUR**  
_she shot the bullet that ended life_

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Robert left Christine alone in the staff room.

She just stared at her mug and took a sip of tea with three sugars whilst wondering if this would've happened if Nadine had gone back to school. She wasn't stupid she knew Nadine didn't have a free period, she knew she was skiving a lesson she didn't like, she did it too often for Christine's liking.

Oh how she'd do anything to change the last hour, to have made Nadine come to the hospital instead of going around town on her own. Perhaps it was her own fault for needing to be back at work. A lone tear rolled down her cheek but she didn't wipe it away.

Even when Kenny arrived twenty minutes later she was still lost in thought wondering what she could've done differently.

Kenny sat beside Christine, squeezed her hand and asked, "what happened?"

"Some sort of accident, I don't know. They found her in the middle of the road."

"Is she okay?"

"Sort of," neither of them spoke truth be told neither of them knew what to say. This conversation was the first adult conversation they'd been able to have for a while. Usually their conversations consisted of arguing and ripped each other to shreds. The door to the staff room opened and Robert walked in. Christine glanced at Kenny nervously before Robert sat down opposite and began to inform them of Nadine's progress.

"Nadine's suffered quite serious injuries. She has a broken wrist, a couple of broken ribs, a dislocated knee and a ruptured spleen. The reason her heart keeps stopping is because of the internal bleeding of the spleen. There's also an indication on the scan that Nadine has a small bleed on the brain so what we're going to do is stabilize her, operate to remove the spleen then monitor the bleed on the brain."

"So she's going to be okay?" Kenny asked and Robert was silent for a moment. The silence was picked up by Christine who bit her lower lip anxiously, "yeah she should be."

"But your not certain?"

Christine answered the question. Sometimes it was dangerous been a doctor, you knew the outcome of certain situations, your knowledge was dangerous; "if they can't stabilize Nadine to perform surgery on the ruptured spleen, she may die from internal bleeding. On the other hand, if the operation is successful there's still a chance that the bleed on the brain will rupture. If it does she could be brain damaged."

"But you don't know for sure?"

"No you can't ever know for sure Kenny."

Kenny squeezed Christine's hand again but this time she didn't squeeze his hand back.

She just wanted to be on her own right now. Standing up Kenny asked where she was going and she answered away from here, she needed to think things through.

"Christine?" Kenny called but Robert cut him off gently, "just leave her Kenny, she'll come back."

She stood outside leaning against the wall, eyes closed wondering if this was karma for doing wrong all these years. She opened her eyes and remembered catching Nadine in this very spot smoking a sneaky cigarette. Oh how she'd done anything to have Nadine back, standing in front of her smoking and having a little bit of an attitude.

"Bad day?"

She turned her head to the side where a man was stood. He was wearing a white overall and she hadn't seen him around the hospital before. With a small smile she answered back, "you could say that."

He offered her a cigarette but she shook her head, "no thanks I don't smoke."

"Neither do I," he smiled and put one in his mouth, "not really."

There was a comfortable silence between the two despite them being strangers. The man lit up his cigarette and began to inhale, blowing away the smoke in the opposite direction, "are you sure you're alright?"

"Not really," she paused, "my daughter's been in an accident."

"nothing too serious I hope."

"It's probably as serious as it gets," she smiled sadly before turning to leave, "it was nice meeting you—"

"Andrew."

"I'm Christine," she went back into the hospital and made her way back to the staff room. Finding herself alone in the staff room she froze on the spot, her mind coming into overdrive. Was Nadine okay? Was she still alive?

"There you are, I've been looking for you." Kenny snaked his arms around her waist and she shrugged him off, "you've found me now, where did you go?"

"To see Nadine, are you coming?"

"Can we see her?" Kenny nodded his head and took Christine by the hand leading her to Resus. The more her and Kenny had physical contact the more she found herself realising she didn't love him anymore, that love had gone years ago and she'd only stayed because she had to provide a stable upbringing for Nadine.

Reaching Resus Christine suddenly found herself feeling sick, her heart beating furiously in her chest. Did she really want to see Nadine as a shadow of her former self? What if it wasn't her daughter lying on that bed? What if her daughter never woke up again?

Louise looked at Christine then Kenny then Christine again. She could see the pain etched on both of their faces knowing they, Christine, couldn't do anything to help. With a small smile she said out loud, "she's stable, she'll be going to theatre when it's available."

Christine nodded and swallowed as she edged towards the bed. The wires were still there, the machines beeping at random intervals and she took hold of Nadine's hand, "it's okay sweetheart mum's here."

Kenny stood at the end of the bed watching Christine and Nadine. He didn't really know what to do. He wasn't overly lovey to Nadine, preferred to keep her at arms length kind of thing. He rely told his daughter he loved her, now he wished he'd said the words more. Walking to the other side of her, he took her hand in his and whispered, "I love you Nads."

Christine sighed and wondered why things had to be so messy.

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	5. CHAPTER V

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**CHAPTER FIVE**  
_we can hold each others hands _

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Christine had forgotten how uncomfortable plastic chairs were until she had to sit outside theatre. Kenny didn't sit, he just paced the corridor up and down, up and down, a cup of machine tea in his hand. They'd been sat inn silence for a while until Christine decided it was now or never.

"We need to talk."

"You want a divorce?"

She shook her head, getting a divorce had never crossed her mind. She knew it was a real possibility once Kenny had heard what she was going to tell him, he'd never want to talk to her again, "then what is it?"

There was still a silence, Kenny still paced the corridor. Christine sat on the edge of the seat, took a deep breath and blurted out the secret she'd kept for fifteen years, "Nadine isn't yours."

Kenny dropped the plastic cup of tea in shock, the cup bouncing off the floor and spilling tea everywhere. He stared at Christine trying to take in what she was saying, it had never crossed his mind in all those years that his daughter may not have been his.

"What?"

"Nadine isn't your daughter."

"Why are you telling me this now? Today of all days," he couldn't understand why she was doing this. Why was Christine telling him, as Nadine underwent surgery, the child he considered to be his wasn't, "Nads is in there fighting for her life and you're telling me this shit!"

"It's the truth!"

She'd thought of this conversation for fifteen years, how nobody would get hurt or argue about what she was saying. How they'd just accept it. Now it was falling to pieces and not going how she imagined it to be, "I'm telling you because, because if anything happens to Nadine, you deserve to know the truth."

Kenny sat down on one of the plastic chairs near Christine putting his head in his hands, "so you've lied to me for fifteen years?"

"I'm sorry," she began but he cut her off, "it's not good enough! I give up everything for you and Nads, e_verything. I_ could've done something with my life, I could've met someone new and had children. You took them all away from me when you told me Nadine was mine. I stayed with you because of Nadine, because I believed she needed stability, why couldn't you have told me the truth?"

"I was naïve when i had a one night stand with a colleague, we were dating at the time. When I was discovered I was pregnant, I truly believed she was yours. The older she got the more she became like her father and I realised she wasn't, by then I was already stuck in a lie so I carried on living the lie."

"Were you ever going to tell me the truth?"

"One day, honestly one day I was going to tell you. I just," Kenny stood up and began to walk down the corridor. Christine didn't bother asking where he was going, it was clear he was going away from her. The door slammed shut at the end of the corridor and she sighed deeply, she was sorry for hurting him.

On his break Robert came upstairs to visit and upon seeing Christine upset, immediately thought something bad had happened to Nadine.

"Is Nadine okay?"

Robert's voice broke through her thoughts and she nodded her head and wiped away the tear that had slid down her face, "yes."

He sat down next to her, "are you okay?"

"Yes," she sighed then shook her head, "no, not really. Kenny and I had an argument that's all."

"Oh," there was a comfortable silence between the two of them before Christine rested her head on Robert's shoulder and began to ramble on with herself, "do you ever think your doing something right for someone only to realise years later that all your doing is living a lie and hiding from the truth?"

"Chris?"

Christine took a deep breath, "Nadine she's—"

"Ms Fletcher?" The surgeon came out of the operating room and Christine nodded, "your daughter's operation was a success, would you like to see her?"

Christine nodded and stood up from the chair. As she went to follow the surgeon, she took hold of Robert's hand and said gently, "come with me, please."

Robert nodded and followed Christine.

/

Christine holds Nadine's hand, the youngster's still asleep, the heart monitor beeping. She reaches over and tucks a strand of brown hair behind her daughter's ear and sighs deeply, wondering if she'll ever wake up and be the child she was.

Robert's stood beside Christine watching over Nadine hoping the same thing.

"You know I'd do anything for her to wake up and ask for a cigarette," Christine smiled sadly. Fair enough it was a disgusting habit but nothing Christine did was going to stop Nadine was it? She could cut her allowance and somehow she'd still get it.

"Have you ever spoken about organ donation?"

"What?"

"Have you ever spoken about organ donation?"

Christine sighed, "Robert she's fourteen of course we haven't!"

"I had to ask."

"As a friend or a Doctor?"

"Both."

There was a silence between Robert and Christine as they both looked at Nadine. The cuts on her face didn't look too bad now they'd been cleaned up but Christine knew her daughter would hate it, her daughter's appearance was everything for her.

Nadine's eyes flickered open and Christine watched, "Nadine?"

Nadine blinked the bright lights hurting her eyes and whispered, "mum?"

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	6. CHAPTER VI

ϟ

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**CHAPTER SIX**  
_but now it's time to go._

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Nadine sat up and looked around the room. She felt rough like she'd done twenty rounds with Mike Tyson. Her throat hurt and Robert passed her a glass of water which she accepted and took a sip, "thank you."

Christine smiled at her daughter, relieved that she had woken up, "what happened?"

Nadine shook her head, "I can't remember is that normal?"

Robert nodded his head, "that's normal not to remember, you may find your memory starts to come back though. How are you feeling?"

Nadine laughed and remembered that her ribs hurt. Touching her side gently she nodded her head and answered, "I'm okay, I'm just sore. I feel like I've done twenty plus rounds with Mike Tyson and I'm not joking."

Christine sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her daughter into a hug. Kissing the top of her head she began to tell her daughter how much she loved her, "promise you will never, ever give me a fright like that again Naddy, I thought I'd lost you!"

"I promise though you should know me mother, you can't get rid of me that easily."

There wasn't anything spoken between the three of them and Nadine wondered why it had happened, why she'd been involved in an accident. She couldn't remember exactly what happened but something had and her whole body hurt for it, it was like been in a competitive sports game at school with those bitches.

"Where's dad?"

Christine sighed and knew that question was going to arise, "he's on his way sweetheart."

"Okay," Nadine accepted Christine's answered and took another sip of the water. She could tell her mother was hiding something, her body language seemed to point that something was wrong and Nadine was going to guess it was where her father was. Her father had probably left her mother and walked away, it was a long time coming and Nadine couldn't understand why they'd stayed together for as long as they had.

"Has dad left?"

Even the question shocks Nadine because she wasn't aware she was thinking out loud and Christine realised she couldn't exactly lie to her daughter who'd obviously guessed what was happening, "yes he has."

"What a bastard!" She stated and Robert laughed at Nadine's choice of words whilst Christine told her off for swearing, "don't ever use that language when I'm around! I will not have you speak of your father like that."

"He's an arsehole if he can't even see his daughter whilst she was hurt."

"It wasn't his fault Nads," Nadine just cut her mother off, "I wish you'd stop making excuses for the moron."

Robert sensing the awkward atmosphere between mother and daughter decided that he was going back to the department. Telling Nadine he'd come and see her later on his break, he left mother and daughter to stare at one another, the atmosphere tense.

"Kenny was here, he stayed with you. He just, he had to go."

"Why?"

Christine sighed deeply, "I told him something, something bad."

"Are we speaking in code now?" Nadine asked and once again took a sip of water as Christine replied, "I don't want you to hate me Nadine, I did what I thought was right under the circumstances."

"Mum what are you going on about?"

There was a silence between Nadine and Christine, their eyes connected and they held the gaze for a moment, "Kenny isn't your father, I lied."

It took Nadine a couple of seconds for it to register in her mind that Kenny wasn't her father, "oh. Do you know who is?"

"Yes. Aren't you annoyed?"

Nadine shrugged her shoulders, "truthfully I don't know what to say. You've just told me the person I've called dad for fourteen years isn't my father. Not to mention you've just told me when I've just woken up from a medically induced coma or something, what do you want me to say? That I hate you?"

"It'd be a start I guess," Christine bit down on her lower lip hard, "I never wanted to keep it from you for so long."

"So why did you?"

"Because I thought it was best."

"For yourself or for me?"

"For both of us." Nadine asked her mother for her handbag and it was only when she had it on her lap, she pulled out her packets of cigarettes. Christine reached over and took them from her daughter, there was no way she was lighting one up in here.

"Not in here," she told her with a soft smile but Nadine shrugged her shoulders, "I need one especially after all this."

"I'm sorry okay, what do you want me to say?"

"I don't know, perhaps you should've told me years earlier. Or perhaps you should've told my father first. I don't know okay? Do I hate you for keeping this from me for so long? No. Do I care? Not really but will you answer my question and give me the benefit of the doubt, who is my father?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"He doesn't know about you, well he knows you exist, he doesn't know you're his."

"Who is my father?"

Christine knew there was no getting out of this one. Taking a deep breath she looked at her daughter and handed her cigarettes back. She knew the consequences were going to massive but she couldn't keep lying to herself or her daughter could she?

"Robert, he's your father."

"Robert, as in your boss Robert?" Silence descended around the room as Christine nodded, her boss Robert was Nadine's father and telling him was the next step.

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**jottings** / if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	7. CHAPTER VII

ϟ

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**CHAPTER SEVEN**  
_move, move, move your body_

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Christine stood outside Robert's office, her heart beating furiously, her stomach flipping nervously and her palms sweating. She felt like a teenager been sent to the headmaster's office for a telling off and she knew she couldn't walk away, Robert deserved to know the truth too.

Knocking on the door she pushed it open when she heard Robert shout to come in.

"Chris," he smiled as he gestured for her to sit down, "how's Nadine?"

Christine sat down on the chair opposite him, "she's okay, bored but you know what Nadine's like."

"I'm sorry to hear about you and Kenny."

Christine shrugged her shoulders, truth be told it was a long time coming. It was expected that one of them was going to walk away, the love had faded long ago and all they ever seemed to do was tear strips out of one another, "it was going to happen sooner or later."

"But did it have to be now with Nadine being ill?"

"Nadine was the reason."

"Really?" Christine sighed and nodded her head, "yes Robert, I decided after fifteen years I was going to stop living a lie regardless of the consequences. I decided the first person I was going to tell was Kenny hence why he walked away."

Their eyes met for a second, "there's something I need to tell you."

"Do you?"

"Yes," she took a deep breath, glanced away for a moment and looked back at him. This was it, there was no going back now, "Robert Nadine is your daughter, she was conceived in this very office fifteen years ago and—"

"What?"

"Nadine's your daughter."

"Mine?"

"That's what I said Robert." There was nothing exchanged between the two, both of them just staring at one another whilst one tried to register what the other was saying. Christine was saying Nadine was his, he couldn't be could he? Yes they had a one night stand all those years ago but surely not? Not know.

"Why did you never tell me?"

"I didn't know how Robert, how do I tell someone they're the father? It was hardly appropriate for me to sit you down and tell you when I was heavily pregnant was it? You were and you still are my boss, how could I tell you?"

"Easy the same way you told Kenny."

"That was different and you know it."

"How? I had a right to know Christine and you took that right away from me without so much of a thought."

"It wasn't easy to live a lie you know? You know how difficult that was for me? Every time I looked at Nadine, I knew deep down she wasn't Kenny no matter how much I wanted Nadine to be. It hurt that I'd thrown away a marriage for a cheap fuck with the likes of you!"

Robert laughed angrily, that was rich coming from Christine. Did he think he really wanted this to happen after their one night stand, for her to become pregnant. He wasn't ready for all that commitment, even know when Issy was pregnant, he still didn't think he was ready and he was almost fifty.

"Do you think _I_ wanted it to happen Chris, do you think I make a habit of sleeping with all my registrar's and leaving them pregnant?"

"No you probably make an exception for the ones who tug on your coat strings."

He shot a remark back abd Christinad sighed. She couldn't carry on arguing it was pointless. She knew he had every right to be annoyed, she had kept his daughter from him for fifteen years.

"Does Nadine know?"

"That your her father, of course."

"I thought I'd ask seeing as your very good at keeping secrets."

"Screw you Robert," the door to the office slammed shut. He could be a bastard when he wanted to be.

/

Nadine wondered why it had taken her mother as long as it had to inform her about the true identity of her father.

She sat in bed staring at the ceiling counting down the minutes until her mother was to arrive, she had gone to tell Robert about Nadine and she was bored on her own in this room with the sound of the monitor going.

Nadine fiddled with the cigarette packaging in her hands desperate to escape and have a crafty cigarette before her mother was due back but she knew it wasn't going to work. She wasn't strong enough to walk anywhere.

If only there was a wheelchair somewhere she thought as she shuffled onto the edge of the bed. Nadine doesn't know how long she's there for staring at the patterns on the floor until a familiar voice broke through her thoughts.

"And where do you think your going?"

"I want, no scrap that I need a cigarette."

"Nadine your hurt. You've sustained-" Nadine cut Robert off, "multiple injuries. I have four broken and two cracked ribs, a broken wrist, a fractured pelvis and done twenty rounds with Mike Tyson. Yes yes I know complete bed rest but I want a cigarette."

There was a pause as she smiled innocently, "I won't tell my mother."

Robert sighed deeply and wondered why he was a push over when it came to Nadine. She could wrap him around her little finger and get him to do just about anything she wanted. He nodded; "fine but let me get you a wheelchair."

He came back five minutes later with a wheelchair and helped Nadine into it. As he wheeled it away from the room Robert made the comment that Christine would skin him alive if she was to find them both outside Accident and Emergency smoking.

There was a comfortable silence between the two before Nadine asked to borrow Robert's lighter, "is this going to change things between us?"

"The revelation that I'm your father?"

Nadine nodded, "well will it?"

"Do you want it to?"

She shrugged her shoulders. She hadn't thought about how her relationship with Robert was going to change. He wasn't her godfather anymore or her secret cigarette buddy or the one she could rely on in a crisis. He was her father now and that role was entirely different.

"I haven't thought about it really," Nadine admitted truthfully, "have you and my mother finished arguing yet?"

"How did you know we were arguing?"

"Sixth sense told me not to mention you two _always_ argue," blowing out the cigarette smoke she smiled, "oh right I forgot you _don't_ argue, you disagree and apparently that's different according to my mother."

"She's right," he smiled and blew out his own cigarette smoke, a comfortable silence between the two.

"Does it change things between us? Yes and no. Yes because, well because as my godfather I confided in you about things I couldn't tell anyone else but on the other hand no it doesn't. We've still got the same bond we always had."

"I don't want you to be upset with your mother Nadine."

Nadine smiled gently, "I'm not even upset or annoyed. I don't know the reasons behind my mothers decision and who knows, maybe one day I'll understand when I have my own children but I'm definitely not upset."

Robert took one final drag of his cigarette before flicking it away, "you're not mad?"

Nadine stubbed out her own cigarette, "no but there is one thing. I don't have to call you dad do I? I'm so used to calling you Robert that calling you dad doesn't seem right.

"No you don't have to call me dad," he smiled and took hold off the wheelchair, "I suppose I'd better get you back before your mother sends out a search party for you."

Nadine giggled on her way back to the ward.

When they arrived Christine was already waiting, pacing the corridor wondering where Nadine had gone, the last thing Christine had seen her she was sat in bed.

"And where have you both been?"

Nadine and Robert looked at one another both of them looking guilty and Christine shook her head. She had thought Robert would at least attempt to try and stop her smoking rather than encourage it, "that was a silly question to ask."

There was a silence as both of them helped Nadine back into bed, "I want you two to stop arguing, I get it okay you're both upset but for my sake do you think you'll be able to get on?"

Christine looked at Robert and then at Nadine, "I promise we'll try."

"Do you pinky promise?" Nadine asked only for Robert to pipe up, "what's a pinky promise?"

"This," Nadine smiled gently and linked her pinky with her mother's, a promise that they'd all try and get on and stop arguing. There was another comfortable silence between the two before Robert nodded and answered; "okay I promise too."

Nadine didn't know what the future held but she knew she had both her parents to help her through whatever she faced.

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**finished**.


End file.
